There was probably a point in your existence that you've been asked a very simple question, and that is "what is life?" back then, a 10-year old me would always say, "life is about being happy and being with your family" When asked in high school, without even thinking much, i would say, life is about achieving success, getting a dream job, getting married and have children, which is the usual portrayal of "the perfect life" that the media would have us believe.

But what really is life?

Are we merely just robots of the daily grind, being the mechanical drones of jobs we need to do for a living?

Are we living so that we could enjoy Films, games, social media, these inescapable "distractions?"

So... what is life?

Each time I've read a self-help book, often times it would tell us how we should live, spoon-feeding the answers to the big questions of life. Just around the bend however, only gives you questions. It makes you go deep in your roots and analyzing your own life through a series of insightful essays that cater to a wide array of topics ranging from the use of social media to the author's own personal experiences.

Before reading this book, being through a lot of experiences, I find it quite difficult now to define what life is for me, Especially now that I am in a stage in life where I have to make very important decisions. So I am thrilled to have read this book because it gave me a lot of insight an a lot of different perspectives as to how I would tackle the challenges of life.

Countless lessons are to be learned from this book. Simple lessons, yet full of so much substance. One thing that struck me the most is how the author emphasizes the importance of self-awareness. Being able to control yourself, being aware of what's holding us back in living the life we've always worked hard for. Lastly, The combination of words, illustrations and comics(starring Dilly) add to the whole reading experience.

This book is simply beautiful. I will read this again without hesitation.

REVIEW: THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA: an absurd philosophical tale about God, the end of the world, and what's on the other planets by H.M. Charley Ada

Another normal day begins as Zack, a devout atheist, resumes his office life as a manager in wall street. As 4 o'clock approached it seemed like another routine would come to a conclusion, but in an unexpected turn of events, it just wasn't any day, it was in fact, the end of the world.

No, there wasn't any catastrophic event. In an unusual afternoon, a man walks by his office and then.....................

God tells him that He is bringing heaven to earth.

of course Zack is confused. He is an Atheist, but his goodness brought him to heaven. This heaven, God explains, will have no disease, no pain, no death and any material thing you wish, you will get.

Zack had a bit of fun in this paradise. But he is still bothered. He still has questions. Then God introduced him to Lilly, an atheist feisty lawyer for-the-poor who is going through the same phase as he is. Together they go on a philosophical journey through worlds, planets as they seek truths to questions about life and God (and probably questions that bother some of us as well).

Your idea heaven is?

Clearly the author painted a beautiful albeit weird picture of heaven. A heaven on earth? A library where history of every man exists? You can do Anything and I mean.....

THIS.. PLACE.. HAS... EVERYTHING........your Childhood Story written by God, Your long lost relatives brought back to life, unlimited food supply, telepathy, cloud beds, getting drunk without hangovers. This is probably going to be my heaven now. The possibilities here are endless.

Each one of us has a different take on heaven. Heaven for most of us is "The End" . A paradise for our soul after we are done with our life on earth and finally reunite with the creator. But in the novel, it is just the starting point of the bigger story.

This novel is very creative and very unique. It takes a bit of time to build up, a slow start, (and for me, the story really took flight by the time they went to limbo) but it delivered in the end. Delivered what? you may ask, definitely a fresh take on the big issues of life.

What really impressed me the most is that it opens up your perspective to a lot of things, opinions and beliefs. Let's be real, religion is such a sensitive topic, and it's difficult to give points without touching some nerves. But the beauty of this book is, commentary on God, life, religion, humanity never got across as a one sided view point. Some are new to me, the allusions and metaphors the author used are original and interesting. But 'less is more' approach could have made this book from being 'so good' to 'out of this world good'. There's too much dialogue in some sequences. But the charm and humor from this book can make up for that now. And most importantly, it is not easy to pull off a part sci-fi, part philosophy, part fantasy story but the author surely made it. I expect great things from this author.

I don't really know why but reading this book reminded me of The Little Prince. Maybe because of travelling to another planet? or because the main character was also seeking truths about life as well? a little bit of both but more of the latter for me.

If you like reading books that will give you thoughts to ponder on, this is the perfect book for you. It's fresh, it's unusual, it's unique.

Roth's Vision of futuristic Chicago may attract unfair comparisons to The Hunger Games, It is still different in many ways.

The Dystopian genre might be "blooming" these days, but Divergent still offers many unique aspects. What will it be like if we divide amongst ourselves to eliminate evil, yet evil still creeps back? This book shows the vulnerability of man, and our lust for power, in which in our present time, is not uncommon.

In this novel, Beatrice "Tris" Prior is torn in her choices, yet in the end, whatever choice she made is an act of bravery and selflessness. I do find these traits amazing, yet I still find it hard to like Tris. The narration of hers displays blank personality in contrast to the brisk pace of the story. Still, I find myself hooked to Divergent, and the last chapter clearly leaves many questions unanswered.

This book is full of wit, humor and a whole lotta love. A big love for that matter. A very big Tiny Cooper love.

Never have I read a book that's so full of charm, not because of the "gayness" of it, but because of the sweet, young love written in funny but sometimes crude jokes that culminates to a big musical.

Romantic, but often cliche', Will Grayson, Will Grayson offers a "cute" view of the LGBT community, which has not been portrayed very well in most literary works.

I have found myself hooked to the clever story writing, thoough at first I did not expect that this would be a gay love story (I should've researched about this book before i read it)but still, I liked the book at the end, for it tells a story of how a person will leap boundaries for the sake of love

But Hannah Baker does. She simply wanted someone to listen. To her story, her life, her problems.

No one did.

The stigma attached to suicide keeps it from being talked about. That is why only a handful know pathophysiology of a suicide. and yes, it includes those who've done it.

This novel is just simply beautiful and devastating. Eerie. It gave me chills as I turned the pages. Partly, because the suspense was building up and the exchange between Hannah's narrative and Clay's thoughts engages me in the story, but mostly it's because I've been in those shoes before.

Nobody understands.Everything leads to everything. The snowball just keeps on getting bigger and bigger (thus, the snowball effect). Those petty little things people do to you but generally ignore can have deadly results. Literally.

Though not all endings are happy, it depends on your standards, but this novel gives hope. Hope that there's a way we can help.

In a place of wonder, where we need not to leave home to experience all the magical places of the world, and of the universe.

Where we discover who we truly are.

Where we can go through numerous secret journeys (Dangerous or not) .

to escape the prison of reality, and create our own reality.

We may be faced with many obstacles

that can challenge our destiny.

but in the darkest of times, we'll still have our golden luck.

and in the end we can say, 'I have a fulfilled life'

Reading can take you anywhere.

Have a very potter holidays everyone!

I have been really thankful for a wonderful year. I graduated, passed the board exam and had more blessings.

This holiday season, I decided to have a marathon of Harry Potter reading partly because I have forgotten a lot of things (shame on me being a potterhead) but at the same time, Christmas is the best time for a kid, and now is the best time to relive the childhood wonder and experiences of the Christmas season.

Hollow Earth is about twins Em and Matt Calder, who possess the power of bringing art to life.

In the first few pages, i thought to myself, this could be the next Harry Potter, but as I go deeper into the story i find the writing not so perfect in execution, in which hopefully the authors will improve on. It will make out an interesting movie, but to say it can be in the same league as Rowling's Potter books is unattainable now, but I won't say it doesn't have the potential to be.

It'a a great book for Children 8-13 but fans of fantasy can appreciate this as well.

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.

May contain a teeny bit of spoilers.

Jacob is just your regular 16-year old boy. or so he thinks he is. Ever since he was a child, his grandfather's stories would often intrigue him, stories which he really adored. But as he grew older, he would eventually dismiss them as fairy tales.

but after the murder of his grandfather by a mysterious, foul-looking creature, Jacob seeks out the world his grandfather told him, a safe-haven, a child's paradise, a quiet place where he can escape from the 'monsters' of the world. A place, where the peculiar children reside, children who have unique, albeit quirky, abilities headed by Miss Peregrine, a female 1940s Charles Xavier, a pipe-smoking, Nanny Mcphee-esque headmistress. Yet, this strange world isn't free from danger after all, as soon as he discovers who he really is, he finds out the true evils that lurk around the corner, and they are following his every move.

Though not perfect, this book is a joy to read. The quirkiness of it all. The creepy photographs interspersed in the pages add to the reading experience. The first part is a dream, the middle part slows down a bit, but the ending had the bomb, like actual bomb.

The settings are well thought of, from suburban Florida, to the bogs in Wales. The backdrop of World War 2 adds flare to the mystery. The characters are full of personality. This is why I find potential in this book's cinematic qualities. Tim Burton might as well direct the film adaptation of this book.

the errors (often misspelled words) shouldn't bother you, this part-fantasy, part-adventure will lead you to places.................. and nightmares, cause of the photographs.